Improved can for preserving butter



W. CLREUTGEN.

Can for Preserving Butter.

Patented Dec. 5, 1865.

Inveni'Qr fir W'itn e .986 s a, 77'

N. PETERS. llmmumo lm, Washinglon. 11c:

e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. REUTGEN, OF VIOKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI.

IMPROVED CAN FOR PRESERVING BUTTER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5 L352, dated December 5, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. REUTGEN, of Vicksburg, in the county of \Varren and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cans for Preserving Butter; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an external view of m y bu tter-can. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the can. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the three figures.

The object of this invention is to preserve butter in hermetically-sealed cans which shall be impervious to air, and which shall not be liable to corrosion by the chemical action of the brine in the butter. To effect this object I construct cans of sheet metal-say tinned ironof any suitable capacity or shape, and provide them with covers which can be secured upon. them after they are filled with butter and hermetically sealed. These cans are made perfectly tight at the joints by soldering, and they may be strengthened by hoops or otherwise it" the material should not of itself be sufficiently strong for transportation.

These metal cans are lined inside with a substance which is inodorous and which will not be affected by the salt in the butter; and for this purpose I prefer to use thin sheets of wood or veneer for lining the sides, top, and bottom of the can, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3, a being the side lining. b the lining for the bottom, and 0 the top lining, which latter is of sufficicnt diameter to extend over the upper. edges of the side lining, as shown in Fig. 2,

so that cement of any suitable description may be conveniently used for hermetically sealing the can when filled with butter. This veneer lining may be well saturated with boiled brine for the purpose of preventing absorption of the brine in the butter, and also for softening the wood, so that it can be readily bent and made to conform to the shape of the can.

The edges of the side lining, a, may be lapped and secured together by means of pins or cement, and, if desirable, glue or other suitable cement may be used for securing the side lining within the can.

The object ofemployin g ametal can or covering outside of the wood lining is to prevent the admission of air to the butter when the can is sealed, and also to admit of the use of a very thin lining of wood, so that while the walls of the can are impervious to air and moisture they can be made very thin and still possess all the requisite degree of strength and stiffness for transportation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A can for preserving butter, which is constructed of sheet metal, lined inside with a suitable inodorous and non corrosible'substance, substantially as described.

2. A sheet-metal can which is lined with wood or other substance saturated with brine, substantially as described;

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WVM. G. REUTGEN.

Witnesses:

W. N. WHITE, JAMES C. Moonv. 

